As we close in on 2019, assessing where digital transformation is practically heading next is a question we are often asked. In predicting transformation trends, it is essential to recognise that digital transformation is an organisational challenge underpinned by emerging technology, cultural shifts and uplifting skills and competency. Unsurprisingly, some of the key trends that have come to fruition in the past 6 months will continue to gather a head of steam into 2019. Here are some headlines.
Connected clouds meet the changing needs of companies looking for flexible cloud-source storage, network efficiency, increased security, enabling mixed reality and delivering app deployment. The major cloud providers have engaged in significant M&A activity since 2017 (including HPE’s acquisition of Cloud Technology Partners and VMware’s acquisition of CloudHealth Technologies), demonstrating the increased commitment to connecting clouds. Ultimately, connecting clouds enables a seamless, secure and streamlined IT experience which requires a coherent strategy for mixing workloads running in public, private and hybrid environments.
Data utilisation to drive machine learning remains a key priority going forward; data is key to companies being able to make good, well-informed decisions about products, services, employees, strategy etc. Despite some concerns over the initial impact of GDPR, data creation shows no signs of slowing down: we’ve all heard the statistic that we have created 90% of the world’s data in the past year, however, recent research also shows that we are only using 1% of that data effectively – I fear that could also be optimistic. Key players such as Microsoft, SAP and Salesforce are beginning to show market leadership in promoting good data practice and utilising data to produce meaningful analytics, ultimately allowing companies to capitalise on the data they are collecting. Going forward, improved processing power and intelligence has the ability to increase machine learning which will boost data utilisation by 3-4% in 2020; signifying a considerable improvement.
Chatbots have gone from strength to strength in 2018 with a considerable decline in the number of reported frustrating chatbot experiences. A chatbot, quite simply, is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the Internet. As the capabilities of chatbots continue to be enhanced in terms of natural language processing and sentiment analytics, there is a rising expectation that chatbots will shake up a wide range of services industries such as fast food restaurants and in-branch banking services. Chatbots allow companies to gather insights and improve services. It is estimated that 40% of large businesses worldwide will have adopted chatbots in some capacity by the end of 2019.
The trends discussed above are just three of the countless possibilities for digital transformation going forward. Please also watch out for our up and coming paper on Mobile Augmented Reality in Retail. To find out how TKM can support your digital transformation projects, please contact us at hello@tkm-consultants.com